Confessions

I was a big soap opera supercouple fan.

I like lazy Sundays watching football.

I love handing out Halloween candy.

I love watching 90210 reruns. Seriously, was that twenty years ago?

I facebook stalk.

I don't mind Star Trek.

I have grown to like Tex Mex.

There are times I miss Detroit.

I'd be a music blogger if I could quit my job.

I am rooting for the Lions again.

Krugman is a Moron

My favorite line:

“This is going to be terrible. In fact, future historians will probably look back at the 2010 election as a catastrophe for America, one that condemned the nation to years of political chaos and economic weakness.”

Second:

“In a recent interview with National Journal, he [Obama] sounded a conciliatory note, saying that Democrats need to have an “appropriate sense of humility,” and that he would “spend more time building consensus.” Good luck with that.” Too little, too late.

Obama has had two years to build consensus. Why does he only want bipartisanship now, when he's on the edge of losing a comfortable Congressional majority? Why is consensus only important when the GOP is poised to gain the edge?

2010 is going down in history as the year that voters took back this country. It is the year they will reject Obamacare, reject Cap & Trade, reject the politics of Pelosi, reject card check, reject the stimulus and too big to fail, and reject the role of Government as Big Brother, lecturing us as to what is in our best interests. We aren't scared, or clinging to guns or religion. We have never been more ready to take this country back. Otherwise, the only thing we'll be endebted to Obama is years of crippling debt and ultimate catastrophe.

Things for Thursday...

I had a dream last night, a car trip, I think, and Grandpa was in it. Today is the six year anniversary of his death. Some subliminal way of reminding me? I don't know.  I was very fortunate to have him for 28+ years, but I'm sad that he was the last of that generation of family to be a part of my daily, physical life, and I didn't see as much of him in his last years. I know he is so happy to be with grandma in heaven, though.

I've been enjoying some new music lately.  The Lissie album is lovely, and I think I'm going to download it. In Sleep, Everywhere I Go, Bully, everything on it is touching and catchy. I'm enjoying some Guster tunes, too, and I am a fan of the new Kings of Leon. Man, I missed my computer.

Five days before the election, and I'm so tired of campaign ads. I can only imagine what the rest of the country is feeling. How big will the victory be? Senate majority still in play? Predictions to come!

And it's Halloween. I don't care, other than I want to see Joey in his Donald Trump costume. I was never a huge fan of Halloween. Not a big candy or dressing up fan. It's okay not to be too into Halloween, right?

Time Traveler or Prank

This is fascinating, as the country celebrates the 25th anniversary of Back to the Future.

Babies

Lots of babies lately...I have lost track of them lately, as they arrive every few weeks. LL's had his latest, Jane. Beautiful little girl, named after her big sister. Former housemates, work colleagues, former classmates, friends from DC, and friends from the Georgetown crew. Babies being born in the year of the baby.

Do I feel a bit bittersweet about this? Of course. Of course. I have days when I really want to be a mom, and other days, when I am happy I am able to run 10 miles in 1:23:24 (what a time!).  And days when I feel bittersweet about the entire thing.

Maybe next year. Or the year after.  I don't know when, not in ten or eleven years, though! I just want it to be right.  Whenever that may be, if I am blessed and lucky enough.

Official Results

Gun / Net	Overall	Sex	Div	6.5Mi Split	Net Time	Pace
1:27:03  /  1:23:24	4795 /21636	959/9581	215/2010	0:55:09	1:23:24	8:20

Army Ten Miler

Today I ran ten miles again. And kicked my time from last year--about 1:23:25? I am still waiting for the results.

I met up with Erin and her friends afterward for brunch at Front Page. And I felt good.  Not like great, but I ilwasn't feeling slightly ill at the end of this like I often do at races.  I ate a ton, which was good, because I was hungry!

This is my fourth race of the year...8K, half, 5 miler, and now 10M.  And a 5K to go.

Having gone from being the last picked in gym class to being able to run 10 miles 8:30s is pretty darn good.

Not so much free speech on NPR

NPR fires Juan Williams for speaking his mind about the threat of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.

Political correctness run amock.

More--SCATHING!

I say an ideological battle because my comments on "The O’Reilly Factor" are being distorted by the self-righteous ideological, left-wing leadership at NPR. They are taking bits and pieces of what I said to go after me for daring to have a conversation with leading conservative thinkers. They loathe the fact that I appear on Fox News. They don’t notice that I am challenging Bill O’Reilly and trading ideas with Sean Hannity. In their hubris they think by talking with O’Reilly or Hannity I am lending them legitimacy. Believe me, Bill O’Reilly (and Sean, too) is a major force in American culture and politics whether or not I appear on his show.

Years ago NPR tried to stop me from going on "The Factor." When I refused they insisted that I not identify myself as an NPR journalist. I asked them if they thought people did not know where I appeared on the air as a daily talk show host, national correspondent and news analyst. They refused to budge.

This self-reverential attitude was on display several years ago when NPR asked me to help them get an interview with President George W. Bush. I have longstanding relationships with some of the key players in his White House due to my years as a political writer at The Washington Post. When I got the interview some in management expressed anger that in the course of the interview I said to the president that Americans pray for him but don’t understand some of his actions. They said it was wrong to say Americans pray for him.

Later on the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock crisis President Bush offered to do an NPR interview with me about race relations in America. NPR management refused to take the interview on the grounds that the White House offered it to me and not their other correspondents and hosts. One NPR executive implied I was in the administration’s pocket, which is a joke, and there was no other reason to offer me the interview. Gee, I guess NPR news executives never read my bestselling history of the civil rights movement “Eyes on the Prize – America’s Civil Rights Years,” or my highly acclaimed biography “Thurgood Marshall –American Revolutionary.” I guess they never noticed that "ENOUGH," my last book on the state of black leadership in America, found a place on the New York Times bestseller list.

This all led to NPR demanding that I either agree to let them control my appearances on Fox News and my writings or sign a new contract that removed me from their staff but allowed me to continue working as a news analyst with an office at NPR. The idea was that they would be insulated against anything I said or wrote outside of NPR because they could say that I was not a staff member. What happened is that they immediately began to cut my salary and diminish my on-air role. This week when I pointed out that they had forced me to sign a contract that gave them distance from my commentary outside of NPR I was cut off, ignored and fired.

And now they have used an honest statement of feeling as the basis for a charge of bigotry to create a basis for firing me. Well, now that I no longer work for NPR let me give you my opinion. This is an outrageous violation of journalistic standards and ethics by management that has no use for a diversity of opinion, ideas or a diversity of staff (I was the only black male on the air). This is evidence of one-party rule and one sided thinking at NPR that leads to enforced ideology, speech and writing. It leads to people, especially journalists, being sent to the gulag for raising the wrong questions and displaying independence of thought.

Good News

Two of our guys that I've know for a while just received judicial appointments.

The sun is coming out.

Army ten miler is in a few days and I can run.

My new music is back. I missed you laptop.

The Ron Chernow bio on Washington is a must-read.

Even if no one comes to our election night party, we will still have a good time.

New Tunes

The laptop is up and running and all of my very precious, valuable music has been restored. No, it would not have been the end of the world if I had to re-upload some pieces, but I would have been very unhappy.

I am enjoying new tunes by Tired Pony, Lissie, Angus & Julia Stone, Guster, Pete Yorn, and many other finds. Almost too many to recall right now. And I'm listening to the new Kings of Leon right now on Spinner, and I agree that the single Radioactive is quite catchy and maybe worthwhile of purchase.

I really could spend hours organizing and re-organizing my music. In about 10 weeks, I will get to come up with my long-awaited best of 2010.  I have a few ideas of what definitely will go on, like Frightened Rabbit, Shout Out Louds, the National, Delta Spirit, etc. but it will require a great deal of music reviewing to come up with the final list.